The One With
by ivyandtwine
Summary: A collection of unrelated one shots, inspired by Friends episodes. Chapter 1 - AU for A Deadly Game (2x24)


_A/N: These will be loosely inspired by scenes/episodes of Friends, but you definitely do not need to have watched the show. Those who know this episode will see how different it ends up being, and most of the others will be the same. Just a way to put C/B into some cute scenarios :)_

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 _Set 2x24/Season 2 summer_

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Kate lies on the private beach of Castle's place in the Hamptons, the sun beating down, warming her skin as she reads a book. Taking his offer to come up here for the Memorial Day weekend was one of the best choices she's made, she's been so relaxed and content since they got here.

They only arrived last night, their evening spent with Castle's home cooked dinner and a bottle of wine. It had been so pleasant, so comfortable, that she had delayed going to bed, staying up later than her usual just talking with her partner. She's had so much fun already, their natural banter working well outside of the precinct, she's going to struggle to head back to the city.

There's tension between them, a thin rope that's fraying by the hour, and it's going to snap before the weekend is up. The long looks and wide smiles are in abundance, and she's softer, more open with him. She'll enjoy the flirting and teasing for now though, happy to follow his plans wherever he leads, for a change.

Castle is cooling off in the ocean, and she glances up from her book to study him, all sun-kissed and dripping from the waves. He's without a shirt, the broad expanse of his back more apparent to her than ever, causing a bloom of heat deep in her gut as the sun glistens off his skin. Her sunglasses shade her eyes, but as she stares he flicks his head towards her, their connection just as strong from a distance. When he grins at her, she can't help the way blood rushes to her heart, and she draws her lips between her teeth.

She's having trouble focusing on the page in front of her now, so she grabs her bookmark, marks the page, and places the book back into her beach bag.

Deciding to finally join him, the scorching sun soaked into her skin enough that she needs to cool off as well. She's itching to be near Castle, wants to delight in the pleasant swirl of the shimmering mass of blue water with him. She stands up, leaves her sunglasses behind and heads down to the water, her high ponytail bouncing with her steps.

The white sand sifts between her toes as she walks, the warmth of it enticing, until she encounters the change in texture where the water reaches the sand and she leaves imprints in the cool, damp grains.

Her skin prickles from Castle's gaze as she walks to the edge, enjoying his stare more than she has before. She's wearing a deep blue one piece, simple and elegant, and she revels from the memory of his jaw dropping when he first saw her in it this morning.

She reaches the fringe of the ocean, the soft waves licking at her ankles and she stands there for a moment, getting used to the temperature as her feet sink deep into the sand with the pull of the tide.

Castle's out further, past the area where the waves break, and he yells out, telling her to swim over to him.

She smiles wide at him and nods, her gaze focused on him and only him. Her heart is enthusiastic as she heads to him, her body awash with serenity. It's so calm and joyous out here, the gentle breeze and flow of the ocean washing away the chaos of the city, replacing it with tingles of anticipation and arousal that flow through her bloodstream.

Walking forward, the water reaching her knees now, and goosebumps cover her skin with the refreshing chill of the sparkling water. Continuing on, getting her body used to the cold, the water flows at her waist and she stills for a moment as it seeps into her skin.

Her gaze is narrowed in on him as she wades further, so much so that she doesn't notice the big wave coming for her, until Castle's face morphs and she's knocked completely off of her feet by the crash of the ocean.

She tumbles under the unexpected surge of water, a full somersault as the pull of the wave drags her around. Her body panics, an automatic reaction to the unexpected surprise. Her eyes are squeezed shut, legs kicking and arms pushing as she tries to right herself without breathing in lungfuls of water.

Standing up she coughs, but before she even has time to wipe the salt from her eyes she's met with the most intense pain on her right calf.

She cries out, _loud_ , her knees give way as the stinging pain spasms through her leg, and she tries to hobble to a shallower part of the water.

Castle's calling for her, something she can't make sense of, all her energy gravitating to her leg. She's dealt with pain before but _god_ this hurts like a bitch.

"Kate! Kate, are you okay?" Castle panics, beside her in seconds, and if she wasn't solely focused on her calf she would be impressed with how fast he swam back.

"Ow, ow, _oww_ ," is all she gets out, holding her arm to her leg as she tries to limp towards the shore. He grabs her arms, helping her walk, the memory of when he rescued her from her burning apartment comes to mind - it would have warmed her heart if it weren't for the intense sting of her leg.

Castle, always there to help.

She collapses once they reach the shore, the water only lapping at their feet now. He's on his knees beside her, eyes panicked and body tense as he keeps one hand gripped on her shoulder, fingers squeezing her muscle.

"Kate, talk to me. What happened?" He runs his hand down her arm and back up, soothing and warm, and she grits her teeth against the pain as she tries to speak.

"Something- I don't know- bit me? Stung me? When I got knocked over." She moves her hand away from her leg and braces herself as she looks down at her calf, his eyes following hers.

 _Shit._

Her leg is bright red, not bleeding, but _so_ inflamed, with raised lines - welts - crossing the outside of her calf. That looks like-

"That's a jellyfish sting," Castle voices her thoughts, nervous in his diagnosis, and oh god this isn't good.

She cries out again, clamps her mouth to try and stop the sound, hissing through her teeth instead as another pulse of pain overcomes her senses. Castle twines his arm around her back, pulls her into him a little. She can feel the heat of his chest against her side and it helps, his slick skin distracting her from the electric current of hurt zapping through her body.

"Shh, Kate. You're okay," he calms, but his voice is shaky and she finds herself wanting to comfort him back.

She turns her head, breathes deep as she rests against his chest. His rushing heartbeat is strong against her cheek, matching the pounding of hers in her head. Concentrating on their skin to skin contact it distracts her for a moment, excitement flaring in her heart for a second until another burst of pain draws her back.

She groans. She doesn't even know what to do for a jellyfish sting. Ice? Heat? No, definitely not heat.

"Castle, how do you treat a jellyfish sting?" Surely he's read something about them for book research.

"Well- uh- I did see this thing on the Discovery Channel…" he trails off.

Relief rushes through her. "What is it?"

"Uh- um- they said that," he clears his throat, "that uh- urine is supposed to lessen the pain."

He has _got_ to be kidding her.

"Castle," she growls, slumping further against him in frustration.

"I'm serious, Kate! It has ammonia or something in it which helps!" he exclaims, pleading a little as he squeezes her arm.

She squeezes his leg back. "Castle, I am _not_ peeing on myself," she murmurs, embarrassed as her cheeks heat, the topic and his touch doing conflicting things to her emotions.

"Well… _I_ could-"

"Ew, No!"

"But Kate, you're in pain." He sounds so worried for her that she feels a bit bad declining. But, _no_ this is not happening.

"Castle, I appreciate the offer, but number one; it's gross, and number two; it's way too intimate for two people who haven't even kissed yet."

Wait, what? Did she just say that?

Castle freezes. It appears that she did.

"Uh- I think the pain is going to your head, Kate," he laughs, muscles tense as he drums his fingers against her leg.

"It's not, but can we get inside and find something _else_ with ammonia before my leg falls off?" She pushes her forehead into his chest to spur him on.

He jolts, releasing his arms from her, and she misses his warmth already, the sharp jabbing of the pain pulling her focus back now that she has nothing to ground her.

Castle helps her stand, wraps an arm around her waist which makes the thrum of her blood come back for an entirely different reason. They start to walk but the first step she takes has pain shooting up her leg and she collapses into him as he holds her up.

"I don't think I can walk," she mumbles.

She holds herself there, gulping in oxygen as she grips on to Castle, who is being oddly quiet.

She gasps as she's lifted straight up off of her feet, Castle's arms strong around her back and under her knees. Another stab of pain goes through her from the movement, but the elevation is good and she wraps her arm around his neck to secure herself. Her heartbeat pick ups again, the joy spreading through her from the contact, confusing against the pain of her injury.

"Is this okay?" he asks, and she buries her head into his shoulder as she nods. She feels childish - a little weak - but safe, and she closes her eyes as she tries to fixate on the breadth of his chest rather than the stinging of her leg.

It's a short walk to the house, she knows she's not too heavy, but she still can't help the nudge of guilt and vulnerability from him carrying her the entire way.

They walk inside and he places her down on the luxurious couch, brushes a daring kiss to her hair that sends shivers rushing down her spine and her lips curling despite the flaring red sting on her leg. They've progressed in such a short time, the vacation away fast-tracking her feelings, and she's pretty sure her _yet_ statement before has given Castle the confirmation he needs to stop holding himself back.

He grabs her an ice pack, wraps it in a towel and holds it to her leg as he gets his phone out to google how to treat jellyfish stings. The ice is immediately soothing, the cold easing the burning pain and numbing the area.

She flops back onto the cushion behind her and exhales as she presses her palms into her eye sockets. Her pulse is slowing now, the erratic beat from the sting - and Castle - dulling in her chest as she relaxes. His thumb is rubbing back and forth on the skin of her leg, even and hypnotic, and she has to bite her lip as she forces herself not to surge up and claim his lips.

"Vinegar!" Castle exclaims and jumps up to get the bottle from the kitchen, as she smirks at his enthusiasm. "I'll grab some Advil and water for you as well."

He comes back, applies the vinegar - which _stings_ \- and then shuffles on his knees to her head as he holds up her tablets.

She sits up, smiling at him, her heart swelling with gratefulness, as she swallows the pills then places the cup back on a simple wooden side table.

Castle smiles back, his hand cradling her elbow, seems he can't stop touching her now and she finds she doesn't mind.

The pain is lessening - the vinegar working fast - becoming a soft throb that can easily be ignored, especially when she has her favorite writer to draw her attention.

"You okay now?" he asks, his hand drifting to her ribs, fingers skating over the bones covered by her swimsuit, sending shockwaves to her core.

"Yeah," she confirms, looking down. "Thank you," she adds, and flicks her head back up to him, droplets of water from her ponytail sliding down her back making her shiver.

Castle reaches up, wraps his large palm around the rope of wet hair, and squeezes, excess water falling onto the fabric of the couch. She furrows her brow at him, but her lips stretch, amused at his action.

She decides to mimic him, brings her hand up to run through the damp strands of his hair, twisting and tangling in the shorter locks at the nape of his neck.

It's soothing; the touching, simple gestures that mean more to her than they have in any other relationship she's had.

Her eyes flick down to his lips, and her heart rattles when he does the same, his face serious as she rubs her fingers over the muscles in his neck.

He leans forward, and her eyes slam shut as he brushes her lips against his. He tangles his hand in her hair and she presses back into him, tasting salt as she darts her tongue out to deepen the kiss. He moans, the sound hot as it travels through her limbs, the sensations making her whole body numb to anything other than his lips and tongue. He should have just kissed her first, she thinks, it would have made the pain go away much quicker.

He breaks away, rests his forehead against hers, and she lifts up to drink in one more kiss before sinking back into the couch. A lopsided smile cracks across his face, and her lips stretch in a similar way, not able to contain her happiness.

"So we've kissed now, does that mean we can do more _intimate_ things?"

She laughs. "Well, please know I won't ever be comfortable with uh- _that_ , but I can definitely think of many intimate activities we can do this weekend."

"That suits me just fine, Kate."

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 _A/N: Thank you for reading, and thanks to the girls who read this for me._


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